There are many new smart gadgets created every day. Many are created for sheer fun and convenience and some serve a more serious purpose. A good example of this is a smart flood sensor. Flood damage can be one of the worst things to happen to your home. Repairs can be very costly and often times insurance companies do not cover flood damage.
A good solution for easy detection and monitoring is a water sensor. Water sensors have already been around for many years offered by security companies as another service when monitoring your house. The new smart flood detector is a device that you can place anywhere that water is a concern and can easily be connected to your smartphone to let you know from anywhere if water has been detected.
Smart flood sensors are inexpensive and installation is relatively easy. No need for monthly monitoring fees from a security service. Your smartphone will notify you immediately if there is a flood so you can spring into action. Here is my Fibaro Smart Flood Sensor Review.
Fibaro Smart Flood Sensor Review
The Fibaro Flood Sensor is a smart device that can detect water leaks and floods. The Fibaro is designed to be placed on the floor or a wall. The gold-plated water-sensing probes detect and reports any movement of the device back to a central Z-Wave controller.
You will need a smart hub like SmartThings that uses Z-wave or ZigBee protocol. This is a low-power communications protocol that is transmitted to the main hub. The hub translates this into a language your phone can understand and will send text messages and push notifications to your phone.
You will need a smart hub like SmartThings that uses Z-wave or ZigBee protocol. SmartThings are available at Amazon.
The Fibaro Flood Sensor will float on the surface of the water and give a temperature readout back to you remotely. This is good to know especially in the winter when colder temperatures can freeze pipes and cause even more expensive damage.
This feature I think is especially useful for snowbirds that go south for the winter and leave their house unattended. You won't have to rely on friends to check your house. This device allows you to easily monitor what is going on back home and hopefully reduce major damage if something does occur.
The Fabaro Flood Sensor has three sensing capabilities
- Water: Detects any water
- Temperature: Gives Temperature reading
- Tamper Alert: Alerts you if it has been tampered with.
The Fibaro Flood Sensor price is more than double many sensors on the market. But has many more features and a slick design that make it stand out from its competitors.
The Fibaro is a good solid unit that will serve you well especially if you are growing your smart home system. The cost will soon be forgotten considering it will reliably detect any water and help you avoid major damages and the costs that come with it.
Fibaro Smart Flood Sensor Overview
The Fibaro once setup performs very well, but setting it up can be a challenge instructions are not that great and are missing key points.
Example the TMP button is used to connect the Fibaro Sensor to a Z-wave network but they fail to say in the instructions that you have to press the button three times and screw it back on to get it to work.
Setting the unit in place is easy enough. Plug into AC outlet or use battery power and mount it on the wall or place it on the floor in an area you would like to monitor. There are no probes to set up all sensors are mounted under the Fibaro Flood Sensor.
There are three gold-plated water-sensing probes on the bottom of the unit that detects any water or movement. Most detectors have two probes to complete a circuit and activate the unit. With three probes the Fabaro can monitor a larger area and can easily be moved to a lower area if required. See it at Amazon
If you have the Apple Home you will be especially interested in the Fibaro Flood Sensor. It is one of only a few that is compatible with the Apple home system. Be sure to get the right one that is comparable to your system as there are Apple versions and none Apple versions.
- Bluetooth communications
- 2 years of battery life
- Simple scene activation
- Voice control through Apple Siri
- Works with Apple devices with IOS 9 and higher
- Sharing home function
Where the Fabaro Flood Sensor shines is that it will integrate easily with other compatible smart devices that shut the power off and shut off the water main. This is a great addition to a whole home smart system and can greatly reduce damages if a leak occurs.
Automation Water Shut-Off Valve
How does a flood sensor it work?
You simply place the Fibaro Flood Sensor in an area where there is a water concern. The three gold-plated probes on the bottom sense any water contact and sends a signal to alert you on your smartphone and the unit will start to beep and can only be shut off at the unit and not remotely.
This can be handy as it will alert the people in the house and make it easier to find since it floats and may drift into a hiding spot. It will also make it easier to locate the problem area if you are using multiple sensors.
The flood detector is very sensitive and works great on the other hand the tamper sensor is much less sensitive. You can slide the Fabaro Flood sensor across the floor without setting it off. You have to pick it up to activate the sensor. This could be a problem if accidentally slide out of the desired monitor area.
Conclusion
The price is more than many other water sensors on the market. They do offer a number of different sensors that start at around $35 and go up to $80. The Fibaros Flood Sensor is great for people that spend a lot of time away from home and are building a complete home system.
The Fibaros Flood Sensor will easily expand with a smart home system. It can give real peace of mind when you are on vacation and have the ability to monitor your home and if something does occur you will be immediately notified and have the ability to shut water mains off and reduce the damage.
The battery has a two-year battery life and it can easily be forgotten. A good idea is to write in a daytimer a reminder in two years to change the battery or have a logbook for the smart battery units you have around the house.
If you do not plan on building a larger smart home system and you stay home a lot there are less expensive options that will serve you well. The Samsung SmartThings water leak sensor is a good less expensive alternative and it will integrate with a Samsung SmartThings Smart home hub very easily.
See What is a smart home hub and how do you choose one? If you simply want to monitor an area don't want to get too complicated there are a number of standalone smart water sensors that do not require a smart hub. Devices like the Smart Wi-Fi Water Sensor that uses Wi-Fi signal and App on your smartphone.
Price: $35 to $80 US
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: Manufacturer: Fibaro